Guy Motors

Guy Motors Ltd of Fallings Park, Wolverhampton produced Lorries and Buses from 1918 to 1979

General

• 1913 Company founded.

• 1913/14 Sydney Slater Guy left Sunbeam where he was works manager to start his own company to produce commercial vehicles almost next door to Sunbeam

• 1914 Public company.

• 1961 Guy was acquired by Jaguar

• 1961 Manufacturers of commercial vehicles, motor omnibuses and electric trolleybuses.

• 1968 Ownership passed to Leyland

• 1979 Production ceases

Lorries

• WW1 War time manufacture

• 1920 Manufacture commenced with 25cwt J-type lorries and later 7-12ton payload

• 1922 Produced an articulated lorry

• 1933 Introduced the Wolf 2ton model

• 1934 Introduced the Vixen 3/4ton model

• 1934 The famous radiatior cap with the Red Indian head and the slogan 'Feathers in our Cap' first appeared

• WW2 Government ordered large numbers of the 4x4 tractors for war use.

• 1947 Civilian production restarted

• 1952 New all-steel cab introduced

• 1953 Big Otter produced for 8-ton loads

• 1956 The Warrior range introduced for 6-15tons and rigid or articulated.

Buses

• 1924 They produced a drop-frame chassis with a normal-control layout.

• 1926 They offered a six-wheeler seating 60 passengers, pneumatic tyres and normal control.

• 1927 A forward-control six-wheeler double-decker followed, the first model went to the London Public Omnibus Co

• 1927 Guy produced their own six-cylinder engine with inclined side valves.

• 1928 Improved versions of these made, and single and double-deck four wheel models were introduced. These were later named Conquest for the single deck and Invincible for the double

• Invincible and Conquest were the first British chassis specifically designed for Gardner oil engines.

• Sales of these models were low and by the middle of the 1930's had disappeared completely.

• WW2 Guy went back to making the big buses as the Government were urgently requiring simple and reliable buses to help carry workers to war factories.

• Guy redesigned the 1933 Arab. The prototype was completed in 1942 and Swindon Corporation was the first to operate this model.

• 1944 2,000 Arab chassis had been completed; they proved reliable and long-lived.

• 1946 Guy's first postwar model was the Arab III; this model was available as a single and double-decker.

• 1950 The Arab IV was produced; they had concealed radiators.

• 1959 The 'Wulfrunian was launched; it had a Gardner 6LX engine.

• 1960 to 1965 West Riding bought 127 Wulfrunian models.

• 1961 The company had gone bankrupt, bought by Jaguar who owned Daimler as well.

• 1969 Guy was now owned by British Leyland and was still in the export market.

• 1982 Production moved to Leyland.

Cars

• 1919 March. Announcement that they intend to produce a touring car

Sources of Information

• British Lorries 1900-1992 by S. W. Stevens-Stratten. Pub. Ian Allen Publishing
• Ian Allan - British Buses Since 1900 - Aldridge and Morris
• The Autocar of 29th March 1919 p431
• 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises: Motor, Motor-Cycle and Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers
• 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE